So today I watched The Crossing, a made for tv movie done by A&E back in 2000. It must be said that I don't expect very much from movies dealing with 18th century warfare, particularly the Revolutionary War. My thought process is that if I go into it with low expectations it'll be easier for me to enjoy the movie.
Unfortunately this held true for this movie in spades. It was based on a book written by Howard Fast in 1971. The battle itself is really awful, but there were plenty of things that jumped out at me while I was watching it--enough of them to make this a multi-part review.
1.) Alexander Hamilton
The opening scenes of the movie show a bedraggled looking army retreating through the snow. A cannon gets stuck in the mud and a young officer jumps off his horse to help get it unstuck. This young officer is Alexander Hamilton. This is the only connection to artillery that Alexander Hamilton gets. For the rest of the movie he's acting as Washington's aide-de-camp.
Alexander Hamilton came to prominence because of his performance as an artillery officer. He raised his own company, and during the battle of White Plains the actions of his company helped save a sizable portion of the army. He was chosen to cover the retreat from New Brunswick, and during the Battle of Trenton he was once again played an important role.
Hamilton wasn't made an aide-de-camp until the spring of 1777 (though he'd had offers from Knox and Greene), but that's basically all he does during the movie except for the Battle of Trenton. However, instead of acting in his capacity as an artillery officer the movie has him and one other officer taking on four Hessians in a guardhouse to silence them to allow the army to move into the town unnoticed. He skewers one or two guards and the other officer does the same, all within the space of seconds, and then that's it for his role in the Battle of Trenton.
2.) Where are the ranks?
Throughout the film Washington calls nearly all of his subordinates by their first names. To a modern audience that's a sign that a superior knows you and cares about you (which is probably what the filmmakers were trying to portray), however at the time of the Revolution this absolutely would not have happened. The class consciousness of the time was too great to allow such familiarity between people in an official setting, *especially
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"Oh, just a couple of minutes ago."
This morning the House Intelligence Committee will hold their third round of public hearings in preparation for possible Impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. Testifying today are Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, top Ukraine specialist on the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, a foreign service aide detailed to Vice President Pence's office. Both are first hand witnesses who listened in on the July 25 call between President Trump and President Zelenskiy.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:00am EST. You can watch live online on CSPAN or PBS. Most major networks will also air live coverage.
You can listen online via C-Span or download the C-Span Radio App
Today's hearing is expected to follow the format for Impeachment Hearings as laid out in H.R. 660
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Opening statements by Chairman Adam Schiff, Ranking Member Devin Nunes, LTC Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Williams, followed by:
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Two continuous 45 minutes sessions of questioning, largely led by staff counsel, followed by:
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Committee Members each allowed 5 minutes of time for questions and statements, alternating from Dem to Rep, followed by:
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Closing statements by Ranking Member Devin Nunes and Chairman Adam Schiff
Day One archives – William Taylor and George Kent:
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Full video can be found on C-Span. Full transcript can be found on HERE
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r/politics Discussion Threads: Part I, Part II, and Part III
Day Two archives – Marie Yovanovitch:
- Full video can be found on C-Span. Full transcript can be found [H
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One of the most challenging areas that the Roman and Ottoman empires faced every time they went to war with the Persian empires, was logistics. It was incredibly difficult to maintain a large army through the harsh climate and replace losses so far from home. This was one of the chief reasons that the Ottoman Empire was simply unable to push the Safavids back across the Zagros mountains for very long.
How did Alexander overcome this challenge and what did he do differently here? How did he replace his losses so far from home and continue pushing all of the way into Asia?
...and the vulture said, "I'm clearly permitted one piece of carrion luggage."
I’m excited to be back for my sixth AMA.
Here’s a couple of the things I won’t be doing today so I can answer your questions instead.
Melinda and I just published our 10th Annual Letter. We marked the occasion by answering 10 of the hardest questions people ask us. Check it out here: http://www.gatesletter.com.
Proof: https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/968561524280197120
Edit: You’ve all asked me a lot of tough questions. Now it’s my turn to ask you a question: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/80phz7/with_all_of_the_negative_headlines_dominating_the/
Edit: I’ve got to sign-off. Thank you, Reddit, for another great AMA: https://www.reddit.com/user/thisisbillgates/comments/80pkop/thanks_for_a_great_ama_reddit/
I first read the series in middle school, and I absolutely loved them. After two years of not being able to finish a book, I picked up the novels as a last hope to get back into reading. At first I was nervous that the books wouldn't hold up to my childhood memories, but boy was I wrong. To be fair, it did take me about three months to get through the first two books, but I enjoyed every opportunity I got to disconnect from our world and travel to the magical world of Prydain. A month after that, I have finished both "The Castle of Llyr" and "Taran Wanderer", with just "The High King" left to go.
After finishing "Taran Wanderer" I just wanted to say how well written these books are, and how well they held up to what I remembered them as when I was a kid. While it is a high fantasy, many of the characters felt grounded, especially in "Taran Wanderer". Taran is a well written character, given that the intended audience were boys coming of age like the protagonist. The themes are mature enough so as to be enjoyed by more than just young boys coming of age. Though I understand why Lloyd Alexander didn't include Eilonwy in "Taran Wanderer", I wish there were more female characters in general.
I think "The Chronicles of Prydain" was the perfect series to get back into reading, and I've been building on my reading schedule so that it never feels like a chore. Though they are children's books, they are also very enjoyable for adults with a set of both fantastical and realistic characters.
Soon I will begin reading "The High King" , but with it comes the dread of having nothing to read after I finish, so jumping in into a new world would be ideal. I'm open to suggestions, but keep in mind that I haven't been an avid reader until these past few months.
